LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Lottery Commission picked Bishop Woosley, the lottery's chief legal counsel, to be the state's new lottery director.
The nine-member commission made the decision at the end of a day-long meeting Saturday at its headquarters in downtown Little Rock, after interviewing Woosley and six other candidates, lottery spokeswoman Julie Baldridge said.
Baldridge, who has been serving as interim lottery director since Ernie Passailaigue resigned in October, said she looks forward to working for Woosley, calling him "a stable and calming person."
"He understands every tiny thing we've been through and every decision we've made and for what reasons. It's going to be very easy for him to do a great job. I'm just elated," she said.
Woosley's annual salary will be $165,000, pending legislative approval.
Passailaigue resigned after a tumultuous term in which he led the lottery to a successful launch in September 2009 but also was a lightning rod for controversy. The former South Carolina Lottery director was criticized over issues ranging from six-figure salaries he awarded to his this top executives to accounting problems that were cited in two annual audits to late payment of taxes to the IRS, which caused the lottery to be fined.
The commission hired Passailaigue at an annual salary of $324,000. On Monday the commission voted to offer the next director no more than $175,000, a reduction that Chairman Dianne Lamberth of Batesville said reflected the fact that the job no longer involves starting up a lottery from scratch.
Woosley was an Arkansas assistant attorney general before going to work for the lottery in 2009.
Woosley appears to be a good fit. Congrats to him.
who names their child "bishop". this has been this most overcovered non-story on here. nobody cares about who is running the arkansas lottery or how much they should be paid in that hog and tornado infested state.
Like the world revolves around Massachusets.Your state is famous for what?John Kerry and the Kennedy thieves?There's something to be proud of.
what did the kennedy's steal. they were bootleggers to be sure and teddy left his date in the drink to save his own hide but what does that have to do with a lottery hack in arkansas. get the clintons to come clean about the tyson chicken stock insider trading deal hillary got if you are an arkansas resident. still can't understand naming your baby boy "bishop". surely a demented religious fanantic family should be running a gambling business. the southern baptists wouldn't approve.
I like these New Director stories being posted because it's the ardent prayer of every Tennessean that one day it will be about Tennessee.
It gives us hope for change.
Like an end to fake computer drawings for instance.
john kerry and the kennedy thieves,sounds like a heavy metal band,crackin up.
Faber98,
You just metaphorically gave the "finger" to everyone from Arkansas. That isn't fair! It may NOT be news to you, but others might think otherwise. No one is twisting your arm to read each story so by all means pass on those that don't seem interesting. With that said, snide comments about other states are NOT necessary.
Tennessee your day is coming. Prayer's are answered. Soon.......... all shall know of your great contributions!
it is my duty and my job to make snide comments. especially about some bald headed hack named "bishop" in an non-essential state such as arkansas. no dakota would be on my list if anything at all ever happened there outside of an occasion flood on a river that runs backwards.
I smell a TROLL.
i live under a bridge. so if the shoe fits, i'll wear it. i just happen to know that this "bishop" character has been investigated for various indiscretions in ak, yet still got the job.
Being investigated and being guilty of "various indiscretions" are two separate things.Maybe he was found guiltless of his"indiscresions.
he's trying to funnel ak state lottery profits into banning contraceptives so the catholic church will have more customers down the road. he needs to be replaced by someone with no agenda.
A new law requiring Catholics to go against their beliefs to provide abortion pills isn't an agenda?
If this guy is fighting for religious liberty against Obama, I support him 100%.
How about this: If you want a rubber - GO FRIGGIN' BUY ONE! The government has no obligation and no right to make sure that someone gets free birth control at taxpayer expense or require Churches or Insurance Companies to provide it.
Let Obama tell his muslims they have to go against their beliefs and see what happens.